Thanks be to God for our FVL Schools Band Program!

We have arrived at the last week of the Cadet Band and Concert
Winds rehearsal and performance schedule! We thank our
gracious God for His blessings on our program! Without His
guidance our efforts would be in vain. We also thank Him for
our wonderful parents and volunteers who help in countless ways to
ensure the success of our young musicians. We thank Him for
the directors of our program and their professionalism and the joy
for music that that they share with the bands. We thank Him for the
many principals and teachers at our member schools, for helping to
promote band and make it possible to give lessons during the school
day. Last, but certainly not least, we thank God for the many
students who make up our FVL Schools Band Program! Their
endless source of energy and enthusiasm is a constant pick-me-up
for all of us who work with them week in and week out.

I also want to thank our band members for their efforts in
lessons this year! I am amazed every week with the progress
our students are making in their lesson books, but more importantly
to see how they are growing as musicians. Playing an
instrument is an activity that begins somewhat slowly for most
students, but as they start to "get it"; it becomes increasingly
more enjoyable as a player when they begin to produce really
excellent music. It is also an activity that they can enjoy
for many years to come, as they enter high school, college, and
beyond. This year we have had MANY of our students playing in
church and accompanying choirs. What a joy for us directors
to see the musical gifts of our students being put to such good
use! As parents, your encouragement of your young musicians
is crucial to their growth and advancement.

Music is one of the few activities that can be enjoyed for a
lifetime, both as a participant and as a spectator. It is a
passion that touches the emotional, physical, and intellectual
senses. As Martin Luther so beautifully stated, "Music makes
people kinder, gentler, more staid and reasonable. I am strongly
persuaded that after theology there is no art that can be placed on
a level with music; for besides theology music is the only art
capable of affording peace and joy of the heart."

End of the Year Activities and Events

Saturday, April 25 - Final Rehearsal of the
year - the day will include:

8:15 - 9:45 - Final Rehearsal for Cadet Band and Concert
Winds

9:45 - 10:30 - Band Awards! We
will be handing out various awards, including Medals for students
who completed books during the second semester, WSMA Solo Medals,
Attendance Awards, and the Director's Awards (2). We will
also have snacks and beverages provided compliments of the FVL
Schools Band Parent Committee! We would like all band
students and parents to be in attendance if at all possible.
Grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins (and other siblings) are
also welcome!

Sunday, April 26 - FVL Schools Spring Band
Concert

Concert begins at 6:00 PM in the FVL
Auditorium.

Band members should arrive by 5:00 PM (Concert Black and
White clothing), so we can hand out Concert Vests and Ties prior to
warm up. Cadet Band and Concert Winds will report to their
regular rehearsal rooms at that time.

The students are encouraged to wear their medals
for completing books to the concert! It adds a
special touch to the band uniform, and is a visible acknowledgement
of a job well-done!

Information from our Photographer for Band Pictures

Dear Fox Valley Lutheran Middle School Band
parents,

We enjoyed photographing your children on Saturday. If you did
not get a chance to order, there is still time! Please use the link
below to do so: www.pinnaclepix.com

Online viewing

Select Fox Valley Lutheran Middle School
Band.

Enter your email and the password: fvlband

Please contact me with any questions.

Christine Cedergren,Director
of Business Development

Scanlan Studios

Pinnacle Group Photography

433 S. Commercial Street

Neenah, WI 54956

920-729-9013

Lessons Continue the week after the Concert at all
schools

For all schools, lessons will still be given during the week
following our concert (April 27 - April 30). By that time,
most schools would have been visited at least 24 days for
lessons.

Due to school play rehearsals at St. Paul, Appleton, lessons
given on Monday, May 4, but NOT on Tuesday, April 28

For Students Renting Instruments from FVL

Instruments that belong to FVL will be collected by Mr. Neujahr
and Mr. Kramer when the last lesson is given for the year.
The instruments will be sent to Heid Music in Appleton for routine
cleaning and maintenance. If students are using an FVL
instrument, and have need for it over the summer months (lessons,
music camps or other summer musical activities), a parent must
contact Mr. Neujahr and let him know. An individual plan can
then be worked out so that the instrument can still receive its
annual check up at Heid Music and you can get it back when it is
ready. The best method of communication is email, at jneujahr@fvlhs.org.

Congratulations to the following students for recently completing
lesson books:

We congratulate the following students who have completed a
lesson book and moved on in our series "Standard of
Excellence". Our lesson series contains three books, 1 (Red),
2 (Blue), and 3 (Green). We use the Rubank Advanced Method
for students who advance beyond Book 3 fo the Standard of
Excellence series.

Beginning Band Student Open House Dates and Information

The Beginning Band Student Open House is an event where new and
interested students can try out various instruments. There is
no obligation to attend. If students and parents can not
attend one of our Open House events, they are still able to join
the FVL Schools Band Program next fall. We will have many
instruments set up for trial, including flute, clarinet, saxophone,
trumpet, French horn, trombone, baritone, tuba, and percussion kit.
Having all of these instruments on hand for students to try
out will help them determine what instrument they would like to
play. It is a fun and exciting night for new students, as
well as the parents! Yes, it does get a little loud with all
of the "music" being played, but seeing the smiles on the faces of
the students and parents makes it all worth the effort!

This year we will be hosting two Beginning Band Open House
events. The times and locations are as follows:

We are running two open house events in an effort to make it
easier for parents and new students to attend. We would
really love to have more students from the Green Bay schools in our
program, so we are adding the Green Bay event.

The Green Bay Open House will be held in the area between the
church and the school. You can use the parking lot with the
entrance off of Oneida Street.

The FVL Open House was originally scheduled from 6:00 - 7:30,
but there are a few area grade school graduations that night.
We will extend the time to 8:00 in an effort to make it
possible for more students and parents to attend.

If parents and students can not make one of our Open House
events, please contact me at jneujahr@fvlhs.org
and I can assist you with any questions you may have.

Beginning Band Camp Dates and Times

We are looking forward to hosting our Third Annual
Beginner Band Camp! The camp will be held on Monday and
Tuesday, August 10 and 11. We will begin activities at 9:00 AM and
will conclude each day at 12:00 PM.

There is no cost to attend this camp! All we ask is that camp
attendees have fun learning a new band instrument, and consider
joining the FVL Schools Band Program for next school year.

More information on this camp will be available soon. In
the meantime, if you know of students who will be in grades 5 - 8
next year, you can help greatly by spreading the word! Many
of our FVL Schools Band students have younger siblings who will be
eligible for band next year as well. Get excited for the FVL
Schools Band Program!

Rehearsal and Performance Schedule for the Remainer of the
Year

Two Saturdays to go! Band Awards Day coming soon!
One more Concert! WOW! The year has gone by very
quickly, especially during this second semester. We have
accomplished much this year, including increased numbers in our
program, as well as great progress in lessons and band rehearsals.
Thanks to all of our wonderful students and the parents for
helping to make our program so valuable for our FVL Schools!

April 18 - Regular rehearsal and Band Picture Day (Info in the
Director's Update for March 21 and also below in this Update)

April 25 - Final rehearsal and band awards (Awards to follow
the rehearsal)

Please note that there will be an ACT exam taking place at FVL
on Saturday. The ACT test-takers will also be using the
Commons doors, so there will be additional traffic in the parking
lot and the Commons entrance. All testing rooms will be in
the Academic area of the school, so our rehearsal and photos will
not interfere with the ACT exam. We are expecting more than
150 students from northeast Wisconsin taking the test on Saturday.
The Commons entrance will be open by 7:15 AM for the arrival
of the ACT exam takers. Mr. Alan Nolte will be unlocking
doors at that time, and will also lock up the building following
the ACT exam, which will not conclude until approximately 1:30
PM.

Band Picture Day on Saturday, April 18

As was previously noted, this coming Saturday will be our band
picture day. Information has been previously posted for this
day, so please refer to the Update from March 21 for the following
information:

Dress for the Day - students should wear their Concert Black and
White to rehearsal
Photographer information, including an Online Pre-Order
form for picture packages

We will be taking group photos, as well as individual student
photos. It will also be possible to have siblings in the same
photo, even if they are in different bands. Please - if
siblings would like to have pictures taken together, simply notify
the director (Mr. Kramer or Mrs. Nogar) at the start of the day so
that they are aware and can accommodate your request.

The pictures will be taken on the FVL Auditorium Stage. We
will have choir risers set up for the group photos, and individual
"glamour shots" will also be done on the stage.

We will be taking the Cadet Band group photo first, followed by
the Cadet Band individual photos. Then we will take the
Concert Winds photo, followed by the Concert Winds individual
photos.

WSMA Concert Festival Wrap

I want to begin by thanking our parents and teachers for
coordinating the car pools to and from our grade schools on April
1! We had very close to 100% attendance that day, with only a
few absent due to illness. Our students are also to be commended
for their excellent dress! It was very impressive to see
students of that age taking the time and effort to look fantastic
for a performance such as this. Many of our young gentlemen
were sporting dress shirts and ties, and our young ladies looked
very nice in their dress slacks, skirts, and dresses.

We had very good ratings on the day as well. Two of the
adjudicators awarded us with a "II" and one adjudicator awarded our
band with a "I". Considering our relative lack of rehearsal
time, our students performed admirably! With only 2 or 3
rehearsals a month to prepare literature, we have a slight
disadvantage over other middle school bands who have the luxury of
2 to 3 rehearsals a WEEK! Having said that, our students take
it upon themselves to rehearse their music outside of our Saturday
rehearsal time, and our few group rehearsals are very productive.
Thanks again to our musicians for their ability to do the
very best in the time that we have together. Thanks kids!

Here are a few comments from the adjudicator rubric forms:

You have worked very hard on balance. Many places
it's excellent!

A very nice looking ensemble. Very attentive and
working hard to do well.

Good control of ensemble sound. Very good percussion -
not overpowering.

Your attention to your director is great. Your behavior
was very good for young musicians!

Other general comments include encouragement to use more
dynamics, as well as work on ensemble intonation. The three
adjudicators were very impressed with our group and what they are
able to accomplish in so few rehearsals. All in all, it was a
very good day for our Concert Winds!

Congratulations to the following students for recently completing
lesson books:

We congratulate the following students who have completed a lesson
book and moved on in our series "Standard of Excellence". Our
lesson series contains three books, 1 (Red), 2 (Blue), and 3
(Green). We use the Rubank Advanced Method for students who
advance beyond Book 3 fo the Standard of Excellence series.

LESSON REMINDER - Mr. Neujahr will not be giving lessons
this week, April 13 - 17.

Mr. and Mrs. Neujahr and daughter Johanna will be traveling to
Columbus, Georgia, which is the home of US Army Fort Benning. Son
Joshua will be graduating from Army Basic Training this week.
A bit more info about this trip was given in the Update for
March 28.

Unfortunately, this also means that I will not be here for picture
day this coming Saturday. Our flight does not return until
later on Saturday evening.

Mr. Kramer WILL be giving lessons as normal during the week of
April 13 - 17. We are nearing the 24th lesson at every
school, so all students will receive lessons the last two weeks of
April. Depending on each school's number of lessons, some
schools may be visited yet the first week of May.